Love Hina Next: The Mini Phases!
by Kouji Tamino
Summary: The second and third generation of Hinata House residents return for more adventures! A new set of short oneshot tales, with the occasional two parter. Next up: Shinichi's Darkest Secret, Part 2.
1. Christmas, One Year After

Hello! It's been a while! Almost half a year, in fact! Yes, I know, I said that 'Second Phase' would be my final contribution to this section for the time being, but hey, it's been long enough, right? Plus, I felt like advertising my new forums. Check my profile for the link.

Don't expect too many updates in this section. It's basically a place to put any occasional 'Love Hina Next' ideas I suddenly come up with that I can't use in a full multi-chapter story since well, I'm done with that. These will all be 'one-shots' unless noted. Think of the chapters in this entry as those OVA's/OAV's that come out after the main series has ended. None of them take place anywhere in particular, but this chapter focuses on the original cast, about one year after the 'Lakuna Island' arc. Enjoy! Sorry to those expecting a new 'romantic comedy with a little action epic', but hey, maybe someday…

-Kouji Tamino

-----

**Love Hina Next: The Mini-Phases!**

_Christmas Eve, One Year After…_

Tokimi hummed a little song as she hung up the decorations, dressed in a slim fitting female Santa Claus dress. "Yamato, could you come in here for a minute?" she asked, yelling into the kitchen. "I need a big, strong man to help me put the decorations up." she replied sarcastically, smirking. "Yamato?"

"He's not here…" Rikina muttered from the couch, reading a book. At this point, she had black streaks in her light blonde hair. She was wearing a Santa Claus dress too, but as usual, hers was black. "He's out trying to start his own fighting dojo, remember?"

"Oh, right…" Tokimi's cheeks puffed up in annoyance. "Damn it. I don't know why he bothers. No one will ever come."

"Hey… You know what would be pretty funny?." Rikina began, chuckling a bit. "If at one point, the only thing keeping him in business was training some rich kid."

"Oh, Rikina!" she shouted, walking over to her friend and hitting her on the head playfully. "Don't say thing's like that! The thought of Yamato making a living off of some snobby rich couple's bratty kid is just depressing to think about!"

The gothic princess rolled her eyes. "Well, whatever… It's not like I really care…"

Tokimi frowned. "Rikina… Don't tell me that you're still sore about what happened…" The only reply she got was silence. Clenching her fist, she growled lightly. "Come on, Rikina! That was over a year ago!"

"Just drop it, okay!" she snapped, finally looking up from her book. Calming herself down, she brought her attention back to it. "I said that I don't care…"

"Fine, just drop it." Tokimi said in defeat. "I'm not in the mood to fight with you." Not yet finished with decorating, she walked out of the room in a huff and into the kitchen. "Rikina has really been pissing me off lately!"

Shinobu sighed, turning away from the food she was preparing. She was wearing a red t-shirt and white pants with a green apron. "What, _another_ fight with Rikina? That's the second one this week!"

"Almost." Tokimi said, correcting her. "I left the room before it could de-evolve any further."

"You'd think she'd have gotten over Yamato by now…" Shinobu shook her head as she cut some carrots into little slices.

"I know!" Tokimi shouted in agreement. "I mean, she keeps saying she's over him, but she's always brooding and moaning and whining about it!"

The older woman sighed. "Don't be too hard on her, now. It must be hard for her to restrain her feelings for Yamato for your sake. It's stressful to love someone when they don't return your feelings, and in turn love someone else." She picked up the chopped carrots, put them in a bowl, walked over to the oven, and tossed them into a pot of stew that had just started cooking. With that done, she turned to Tokimi with a smile. "Especially if that someone is your best friend!"

"You're right…" Tokimi, feeling ashamed for being so insensitive about the subject. "You know what, I'm going to go apologize to her right now!" And with that, she left the kitchen.

-----

Meanwhile, at exactly the same time, Rikina was moping, dropping her book on the ground with a loud thud. Pouting, she crossed her arms. "Wah… This isn't fair!" The tanned woman raised an eyebrow in confusion as a pair of small pale hands suddenly reached over her shoulders and began to massage her breasts. "Well, let's see… Ami wouldn't dare molest me, so… You must be Meiruuna."

The naughtier twin sister of Ami grinned, wearing a black turtleneck and a long skirt. "Bingo. What's the matter, hottie? Get into another fight with Tokimi again?"

Rikina winced in pleasure. She'd never admit it out loud, but it felt pretty good. "Hey, stop that… Come back when you have your own set of tits and then we'll talk. Anyway… Well, almost. But Tokimi left before it could degenerate into a full-on fight."

"What a coward." Meiruuna began. "She's such an insensitive bitch. I heard the whole thing. She has no idea what you're going through right now."

"Actually, she does…" Rikina began. "For a couple days, Yamato and I were dating… Sort of. My sister and him made a deal with some of my people to have him marry me and be my king. I'm still pissed at him for misleading me like that…"

A devious grin spread across Meiruuna's face as she let go of . Leaning in, she whispered into the woman's ear. "Then you should get revenge on both of them… Tokimi and Himiko. Get back at both of them…"

"… The **hell** are _you_ smoking?" Rikina asked quite bluntly. "They're both still by best friends and all. I'm not going to kill them over relationship problems." She then picked up her book, found her place, and continued reading. After a few seconds, however, her attention was once again taken off of the book. "Then again…"

-----

"Rikina!" Tokimi shouted, walking back into the lounge. "I'm sorry for… saying… all those…" Looking around in confusion, she looked around the room. "Rikina? Where are you?" She screamed out as someone grabbed her from behind, but they quickly covered up her mouth. Her eyes widened as rope began to float in the air, quickly tying her up. A handkerchief showed up as well, gagging her. '_What's going on?_' She thought to herself, suddenly losing consciousness.

-----

Elsewhere, in a cabin in a forest, Ami and Kimomo were having a conversation over some hot tea. "But doesn't it get lonely, training in the forest by yourself?" the ivory haired girl asked, pouring the samurai girl some more tea.

"Thank you Ami…" Kimomo said in thanks, taking a sip of the tea. She was wearing the traditional miko's uniform, just like her mother. "…such a sweet girl. But actually, yes. But it's one of those things I have to do." Taking a look at a pocket watch that her father had given her, she gasped. "Oh my, we had better get going. You have to get back to Hinata House to help Shinobu with some of the cooking, right? And I promised Tokimi that I'd help her decorate!"

Getting off of the ground, Ami dusted off her inverted Santa dress. "Eep! You're right! Let me just gather up all my tea stuff…" Looking around in confusion, she frowned. "Hey, where's Tenshi?"

"Found her." Kimomo replied nonchalantly, holding up the now frozen white rabbit.

"Kyyaaaa!" Ami screamed, hands over her mouth in horror. "Oh god, my poor little Tenshi!" The girl quickly fainted, causing Kimomo to smack her forehead.

-----

When she awoke, Tokimi was tied up to a wooden pole that had been planted into the ground right in front of Hinata House. "Wh-what the hell!"

"Hello there, old friend…" Rikina said in a calm voice. "How are things up there?"

"Rikina!" Tokimi screamed, no longer silenced. The gag must have had knock out gas on it. "Is this your idea of a sick joke! Cuz if it is, I'm not laughing!"

"It's no joke." Rikina scowled, her tone becoming cold. "This is my final act of revenge against you and Yamato for breaking my heart!"

"But you said you were over that!" the black haired young woman shouted, struggling against her ropes.

"Come on!" Rikina snapped, stomping her foot. "You'd have to be dense to believe that I'm seriously over Yamato!"

"Please, Rikina… Don't do this…" Tokimi put her head down in sorrow, tears running down her face. "You're my best friend. I love you!"

The younger Su sister's eyes widened and shimmered with tears that wouldn't fall. "Tokimi, I… I'm sorry!" Quickly turning away, she ran back into the building. "Meiruuna! I can't go through with it! I've known her ever since she was a little girl! She's like a little sister to me!"

The sister comment caught her slightly off guard, but Meiruuna quickly regained her manipulative composure. "We have to go through with this…" she replied in a dark tone. "Don't worry, it will all be over soon…"

-----

Yamato yawned as he neared the top of the now infamous long set of stairs, carrying a bunch of wrapped presents. He was wearing a black coat, dark blue jeans, black sneakers, and a matching black winter cap. "What a day… Christmas Eve and I _still_ haven't gotten a deal. What a bunch of Scrooge's. Oh well, at least I didn't come home empty " As he made his way to Hinata House, having now cleared the steps, his attention was directed towards a sight that made him drop his gifts. "Tokimi!" Running towards his crying girlfriend, he made an attempt to untie her.

"Yamato…" she managed to say, sniffling. "Rikina… she…"

"What's that about Rikina?" he asked, too preoccupied with the rope to really pay attention. Yamato raised an eyebrow as a shadow crept over him. "Wow, it sure got dark quickly…" He grunted out a robotic hand smacked him out of the way and sent him sprawling to the ground.

"Kyaa!" Tokimi screamed, horrified. "Yamato!"

"I'm fine, I'm fine…" Yamato assured her, slowly getting up. "It'll take more than a piece of scrap metal to take me down." Smirking, he faced down the mech. It was about twice the size of an average male and was shaped like one, too. It had two rabbit ear-like protrusion's from it's head and huge shoulder's . "So, Rikina… Still bitter about Tokimi and me?"

"I loved you!" Rikina screamed from the mech, tears running down her face. "And you played with my emotions! I could never hurt Tokimi, but I will make you pay, Yamato!" She screamed angrily, swinging both arms down towards him.

"Whoa!" Yamato shouted, tossing him self to the ground and narrowly dodging the attack. "Damn. This one's faster than most." He screamed out in pain as a metallic tail suddenly swung at him and hit him right in the side. He doubled over in pain and fell to his knees. "Tricky bastard, too…"

"Rikina, please stop!" Tokimi screamed, struggling against her ropes to no avail. "You'll kill him! If you truly wouldn't hurt me, then you'll stop this now!"

"Idiot!" Rikina shouted. "I'm doing this for you! Yamato is slime! You're too good for him!" Suddenly, a blue energy ball hit the mech, giving quite a bit of damage. "Ow! What?…"

"Leave Yamato-sama alone!" Ami shouted, glaring. A thawed out Tenshi was floating right beside her. "Please, Rikina… Don't make me do this…" She gasped as Meiruuna and Kai swooped in front of her.

"Sorry, sis." she said with a grin. "I can't let you spoil my fun."

"Fun?" Ami screamed in disbelief. "How is watching our friends fight fun?"

The darker twins smile widened as she formed a crimson ball in her hands. "Because I started it." she replied, sending the ball at her sister.

Filled with rage, Ami's eyes and aura turned pitch black as she grabbed the ball. "Meiruuna! How dare you play with people's lives like that!" She changed the color of the ball black and sent it back at her twisted sister. She then sent a barrage of dark arrows at Meiruuna, then raised her fist. It began to glow black as she focused all her energy into that single point, then flew towards her twin. Ami screamed as she punched her sister right in the face with the amplified blow.

Meanwhile, Kimomo was fending off the mech with her sword, doing quite well at first. But being less experienced than her mother, she could not hold her back for long. The mech's next strike sent her flying backwards. "Gyah!" As she landed on the ground with a thud, she whined and stared at her now broken sword. "Wah…. Mummy and Daddy are gonna kill me…"

"Yamato, you bastard!" Rikina screamed. "You've gone and turned everyone against me! Now I'll really kill you!" The mech's shoulder suddenly opened up, revealing a set of ten missiles in each. Another set of tears ran down her face. "This is the end…"

Tokimi's eyes widened in horror as the missiles were launched. "No, don't!" she screamed frantically, straining against the ropes even more. "Yamato!"

The younger Urashima jumped backwards, dodging each missile as it came down. But as the fifth one exploded, the force knocked Yamato down, and he was at the final 4 missile's mercy. "Well, damn… I screwed up. Sorry, Tokimi… Stay safe." Closing his eyes and accepting his fate, he waited for his impending doom.

Suddenly, a van burst through the air, flying right in front of the missiles and exploding, falling to the ground. Out from the now flaming heap came Keitaro and Naru, waving sheepishly. "Um, yo!" Keitaro shouted. "Sorry we're late!"

"Dad…" Yamato began.

"…Yeah, son?" Keitaro replied with a smile. "What is it?"

"…You have the most fucked up timing ever. But it always seems to save my ass, so thanks."

"Oh, and you forgot this when you came over to pick up the girl's presents!" Naru shouted, tossing her son the infamous 'Hina' blade.

Catching it, Yamato laughed. "Thanks, mom!"

Smirking, Naru, rolled up her sleeve. "Go kick some ass, honey!"

Chuckling, Yamato gave Rikina's mech a cocky grin. "All right. Will do."

-----

"I can't believe my mech ran out of energy…" Rikina said pitifully, still sitting in her cockpit. She sighed, opening the cockpit. "I'm… so sorry, everyone…" Crying out in anguish, she jumped out of the cockpit and began to run away. She gasped as Yamato grabbed her arm. "But…"

"It doesn't matter." Yamato replied. "Everyone has their bad days… Besides, we already caught the culprit who started all this." He pointed Meiruuna, who was pinned to the ground by Ami.

"But still…" Rikina sniffled, wiping her eyes. "I did and said some horrible things. How can you all think of forgiving me?"

"Because we're friends, Rikina!" Tokimi, now untied and walking towards her. "But please… If you're having problems, just come talk to us." She sweat dropped. "Otherwise, we just get incidents like this…"

"There you are, Ami!" Shinobu shouted, poking her head from the kitchen. "You're almost an hour late, y'know!"

Ami giggled, putting a hand behind her head apologetically. "Yeah, sorry!"

"Oh my…" the cook continued, looking around. "Just what happened out here?"

"Um, just the usual…" Keitaro replied, laughing.

-----

Later that night, Rikina, Tokimi, and Yamato were sitting on the couch. Rikina sighed. "I'm sorry, I ruined Christmas for everyone."

Yamato gave a big grin. "You kidding? That's the most fun I've _ever_ had on Christmas Eve!" That comment earned him an elbowing from his girlfriend. "Ow! Anyway, just remember..."

"We're your friends..." Tokimi said with a soft smile. "We care about you..." Her smile suddenly turned into a playful frown as she grabbed her older friend in a headlock. "So don't **ever** do that to us ever again, understand!

"Okay, okay!" Rikina shouted, wincing in pain. Laughing, she sighed. "Merry Christmas, you two..."

**Fin**

-----

And there we go! Happy Holidays, everyone!


	2. Second Phase: Epilogue, Part 1

Hey there! S'been a while. Y'know, there was so much that I wanted to cover in Second Phase, that I often ended up forgetting about plotlines I had started earlier on. Thus, by the time the series had ended, I had left a few bits of plot out of the story, even though there was evidence that these subjects would be returned to and elaborated on. For example, Shinichi's missing younger brother. It was hinted that the readers would learned what happened to him, but due to my poor sense of organization, the plotline was completely forgotten and consequently dropped.

Also, I was a tad disappointed in the finale to my sequel series. It was much too dark, and not 'chaotic' enough for a Love Hina finale. Then again, maybe some of you enjoy my rather sadistic style of storytelling. Either way, I felt that too many things were left hanging, and the conclusion was too rushed. Barely any time was spent on the main couples in both LHN and LHN:SP once they finally hooked up. There were two volumes worth of stories left once Naru and Keitaro became an item. I don't have enough ideas to pull off the same amount of stories chapter wise, but perhaps I can properly conclude the Shinichi and Junko storyline with this 2-part story.

-Kouji Tamino

-----

_August 12, 2033... 5 months later…_

Sakura yawned, stretching as she walked toward the place she was hiding the injured and formerly evil Arcia. She wore a red silk nightie and wanted to surprise the man, tease him a little bit. He was looking better every time she saw him, and she looked forward to the day when he would be fully healed. Crawling through the entrance and down the tunnel, she gasped as she saw that Arcia was gone.

**Love Hina Next: The Mini-Phases!**

A 'Second Phase' Tale: _Epilogue_ (Part 1)

Junko grunted as she kissed Shinichi aggressively, pinning his shoulders to the wall with her arms. His arms were around her waist as he nibbled playfully on her bottom lip, eliciting a soft moan from the girl. She pulled away with a smile, panting. "I love you, Shinichi-kun…"

"And I too, Junko…" the man replied, brushing his girlfriends bangs from her sweaty forehead. He sweat dropped, a bit taken aback by her sudden sexual aggressiveness. He was just walking down the hallway, smiling at Junko as he stopped to greet her. Next thing he knew, she had him up against the wall in a game of 'Tonsil Hockey'. "But really, don't you think it's a bad idea to create so much body heat on such a hot day?"

"She's trying to keep you from coming to me…" Meirunna replied, walking up to the fairly new couple. Chuckling, she continued. "Pity that it won't work. It's only a matter of time before I come to finish what I started…" Her hand reached out and lowered, closing in towards Shinichi's crotch, before Junko quickly swatted it away.

"Back away, you horny little bitch!" Junko shouted, standing in front of her boyfriend protectively. "And for your information, I made out with Shinichi because I wanted to!" Smirking, she stepped forward and poked the other girl in the chest. "You're not the only one around here that likes to have fun, you know…"

"Mmm-hm!" Meiruuna hummed with a chuckle. "Looks like I misjudged you." She stepped forward as well, face-to-face with Junko. "I thought you were an uptight prude at first! But it looks like you know how to relax as well!" Grabbing the couple by their waists, she smiled. "Perhaps we could _all_ get together for a little fun?" She laughed as Shinichi replied with a nosebleed and Junko screamed and cursed at the top of her lungs. "I was just kidding! Geez, you guys are just soo fun to mess around with!" Meiruuna giggled as she walked towards the stairs. Stopping at the top, not turning around, she continued. "By the way, I came up here to tell you that Shinichi has some visitors…" Having fulfilled her initial duties, she continued down the stairs.

"Ugh…" Junko growled, crossing her arms. "She really **really** bothers me…"

"Um, heh…" Shinichi began, nervously. "Well, she _can_ be a bit of a hand full sometimes…"

Junko stared at her love for a moment before sighing in exasperation. "Shinichi-kun, I really don't see how you can be so tolerant all the time…"

"Not all the time, Junko…" Shinichi replied, turning away.

"Hm?" Junko tilted her head uncharacteristically. "What was that, Shinichi-kun?"

"Nothing…" he replied, turning back to her with an awkward smile. "It was nothing. Let's go downstairs where the others are, love…" With that, he retreated.

Junko blushed, still a little in disbelief that someone as sweet as Shinichi loved a rough, violent tomboy like her. She quickly followed him, still not trusting of Meiruuna.

-----

The young couple was shocked to find that all of Shinichi's cousins and his great uncle, the former Keepers of the Suichi Items, had come to visit. In the room as well were Yamato, Meiruuna, Ami, and Megumi. "Erm…" Shinichi began, looking around the Hinata House lounge. "What in the world are you guys doing here?" He was completely dumbfounded. He hadn't been expecting to see them ever again. Not that he wasn't _happy _to see them, but it was such short notice…

"We're here to visit, silly!" Rei shouted, taking her hat off and sighing pitifully. "It's so hot out…"

"That's what you get for wearing that damn dress all the time!" Ni shouted, taking off his cap and wiping some sweat off his forehead. "How can you guys stand it?" he asked, referring to the residents of Hinata House. He felt as if he would quite literally melt very soon if he didn't get some relief.

"Our air conditioning's broken…" Rikina replied, appearing behind the man. "I was working on it, but I decided to take a quick break." She laughed as he jumped, screaming and shouting. "Oh, sorry… Did I scare you?" Sticking out her tongue and winking, displaying a bit more of her sister's influence, she slapped her forehead. "I do that sometimes. Anyway, back to work…" Picking up a tool box, she walked over to an air conditioner and got cracking.

"Eh, don't let her freak you out _too_ much, she's really a nice person." Yamato replied, putting a cigarette in his mouth. "She's really a nice person once you get to know her." Taking a lighter out of his pocket, he lit a flame and prepared to light up, only for someone to blow the flame out and snatch the cancer stick out of his mouth. "H-hey! Tokimi!"

The aforementioned waved the cigarette in her hand with a disappointed look on her face. "…Why, Yamato? You keep promising me that you'll quit smoking…" Frowning angrily, she snapped it in two. "But I always manage to catch you doing it anyway…" Sighing, Tokimi walked past him and towards the stairs. "Hello, everyone and welcome to Shinichi's cousins…"

"Gyah, damn it…" Yamato growled, following her up the stairs. "Tokimi, I'm sorry! I'm trying, I really am!" His voice suddenly became more high pitched and whiny as he continued. "But it's hard! Please, just give me another chance!"

Everyone still present sweat dropped at the sight, seeing the usually laid back and in control Yamato stressed out and spazzing. "Hmph." Shi Yon replied, running a hand through his hair. "That's why I'm glad that I don't have a girlfriend… Way too much trouble."

"That's 'cuz you're too fruity to bag a chick!" Go-Roku teased, an evil grin on his face. He yelped as he was grabbed in a headlock by the man. "Ack! Help! I'm being assaulted!"

"You take that back, you evil little gnome!" Shi Yon screamed, tightening his hold. "I'll have you know that I have dozens, no hundreds of women _begging_ to simply be in my presence!"

"Ugh, no offense, but you're acting like a complete snob…" Junko muttered, giving him a look of disgust. She raised an eyebrow with a scowl on her face. "And what was that about girls being too much trouble?"

Nana scoffed in agreement. "Isn't he, though? At least _you_ don't have to put up with him everyday." Glancing towards her egotistical yet charismatic cousin, she shuddered. "We 'Keepers' all live in the same apartment complex…"

"Ooh, I feel for you…" Junko replied, wincing.

Chuckling, old man Ichi stared up at Shinichi with squinted. "So, young man. Are you going to leave your guests bored? We came all this way to see you and you don't even have anything planned?"

Twitching, stared back down at his great uncle. "I wasn't expecting any of you guys to come over, Uncle Ichi… So how in the world was I supposed to--"

"Hey, your parents still own that summer home, right?" Megumi asked, a grin on her face. "Why don't we all go down there for a big beach get together?"

Shinichi coughed, a stressed expression on his face. "Um, actually, I don't think that's a good ide--"

Completely missing Shinichi's anxiety, Ami chimed in. "I think thatt's a great idea, Megumi!" She looked to her former love interest. "Shinichi, why didn't you ever tell us about your family's summer home?"

"Summer home?" Meiruuna grinned. "How many rooms are there?" Her expression became mischievous. "Some of us may have to share rooms…" She was suddenly grabbed by the head and found herself face to face with a pissed off Junko. "Oh my…"

"If that turns out to be the case, Shinichi is sleeping with me!" She shouted, panting heavily. Blushing at her outburst, she froze, giving the dark haired hedonist time to make her escape. "I… didn't mean it… that way…"

Megumi giggled, smiling at the younger woman. "Naughty Junko. Are you thinking about doing dirty things with my special friend?" She walked towards her and leaned in towards her ear. "Alone? In a dark bedroom?"

Junko began sweating. "N-no, it's not like that at all!"

"Did someone say that Shin-sama's parents have a summer home?" Naoko asked, walking in from the kitchen. "I wanna go, too!"

"Of course you can go!" Ami shouted. "That is, of course, if Shinichi-kun and his parents don't mind!" Looking to him pleadingly, she pouted. "Please, Shinichi-kun? Can you ask them?"

"No, Ms. Ami." Shinichi replied, plain and simple. Turning around, hearing everyone's groans of disappointment, he sighed. "I'm sorry you all came here for nothing, but we were not given enough time to plan anything special."

"Shinichi-kun!" Junko shouted, sensing that something was very wrong with her boyfriend. It wasn't like him to act so cold to others, especially his family and friends. She followed him while the others looked on in worry. As she caught up to him, she put a hand on his shoulder. "Shinichi-kun… Is something the matter? You…" She paused, trying to say the right thing. "…seem upset."

Turning around, Shinichi smiled at her. "I'm fine, Junko. Really." His expression became sadder as he looked down a bit. "I'm just a bit tired, that's all… I think I'll take a nap."

"You sure you're all right?" Junko asked, concern on her face. She glared, crossing her arms. "You'd better not be lying to me!"

Shinichi screamed, backing away. Just because she was his girlfriend now didn't mean she wouldn't smack him if he messed up. He knew this, and wanted to get far away from her at the moment. "Um, later, Junko!" Dashing down the halls, he disappeared into the safety of his room.

Sighing, Junko shook her head before sighing wearily. "I was just kidding. Dork." Looking off in the direction he left, she frowned. There was definitely something amiss here. He was just acting _too_ weird. "Shinichi, sometimes I wonder… What are you hiding? Don't you know you can tell me anything?"

-----

That night, Shinobu cooked what was perhaps one of the biggest dinners not related to a wedding she had ever made. Unfortunately, the lack of preparation took it's toll on her. By the time everything was prepared, the poor woman was too stressed and overworked to feel like eating any dinner herself. Thankfully, she got some assistance from Naoko, or she may have never gotten finished. Still, the entire experience left her exhausted. Slumping in her chair, she sighed. "Alright, everyone… Enjoy."

As everyone ate, Shinichi suddenly cleared his throat, as if to say something. They quickly stopped what they were doing and shifted their attention to the young man, especially interested in what he had to say after this morning's incident. "I'm sorry for worrying everyone…" Smiling slightly, he continued. "After doing some thinking, I decided that I will see about hooking us up with a beach vacation." As everyone cheered, he sat back down, a pained expression on his face. In their excitement, no one really noticed, except for Junko. She stared at him worriedly, growing both anxious and even a little angry at his secrecy.

-----

A few days later, after careful preparation and planning, the whole gang headed off to the Suichi family summer home. Everyone was invited, including the Hidakas. As expected, there were actually more than enough rooms for everyone. Most of the established couple shared a room, most of them sleeping in separate beds unless they were married or already 'active' with each other.

When all the unpacking was complete, everyone changed into their swim suits and headed down to the beach. They soon split off into their own groups, organizing their own summer activities to keep them preoccupied.

Miaka and Kimiko wore similarly designed one piece swim suits, blue and pink respectively. They were burying their father Keitaro in the sand, their mother Naru watching on in a pink bikini. Giggling, she shook her head. "You spoil those two way too much…"

Smiling cheerfully, Keitaro stuck out his tongue. "Heh, maybe… But they're so darn adorable!" He shivered as sand got in his dark blue swim trunks. "But perhaps I should get out soon…"

Elsewhere, Ami, Meiruuna, Jin, Megumi, and Static were creating a huge sandcastle. The two psychic twins wore matching bikini's that were the colors of the other sister's hair. Megumi wore a yellow one piece, occasionally giving looks to Static that made him blush. Jin was unsuccessfully trying to flirt with Ami as they worked. The two brothers wore simple black swim trunks with a red stripe going down one side.

Noticing that Sakura was sitting not too far away with a rather solemn look on her face, sporting a crimson red bikini with black lining. Waving over to her, she shouted. "Hey! What's wrong Sakura?" She had never seen the unnatural redhead look so down before. "Hey, don't be gloomy! Come on over and hang out with us!"

Sakura turned around, feeling absolutely sick to her stomach. What in the hell was she going to tell everyone if they ever found out what she had done? How she had lied to them while sheltering the enemy, and how he had recently escaped, perhaps plotting his revenge against them all. They'd never trust her again. After struggling to earn their trust after betraying them the first time, there was no way they'd trust her after a stunt like this. Swallowing heavily, she decided that she'd deal with it all when it happened. "Um… okay" she replied uneasily, feeling like she had stabbed each and every one of her friends in the back as she walked over to the group.

-----

Walking along the beach, side by side, Shinichi and Junko were completely silent, awkwardness from the other day still lingering. Junko, however, was determined to find out what was bothering her boyfriend. Trying to think of a way to break the ice, she smiled as she spotted a man selling ice cream. "Hey, Shinichi-kun! Want some?" she asked, pointing over to the ice cream vendor. "My treat!"

Reaching for his wallet, he shook his head. "That's okay, I'm buying…" He was quickly stopped, the girl placing her hands over his. "Um, Junko?…"

"I'm the one with a job, remember?" Junko replied, a teasing smirk on her face. Chuckling, she ran her hand through his hair, ruffling it up a bit. "You're not rich anymore, so stop acting like you have to pay for everything, okay?" Reaching around her ankles, she produced an ankle wallet that used an elastic band to stay on. She walked over to the vendor, purchased two cones, and came back with chocolate and vanilla. "I didn't know what flavor you wanted, so I got two different ones. Pick one."

"Um… Vanilla, I guess." Shinichi replied somberly, taking the cone. He began to eat it, sitting down on the sand and staring at the ocean. As Junko sat next to him, he sighed. "If you're trying to butter me up so I'll tell you what's bothering me, it won't work", he suddenly said, rather coldly. "So just drop it, Junko."

Junko grit her teeth, trying not to crush her ice cream in anger. "What the hell is your problem, Shinichi? Why can't you just speak up about what's been eating you, lately." Licking her dry lips, she continued. "We're boyfriend and girlfriend, damn it! When we have problems, we help each other through them!" She frowned at him, her eyes full of fire and pure determination to get to the bottom of all this. "I can't do that unless you tell me what the hell is going on!" She gasped as he stood up quickly, dropping his unfinished ice cream on the ground. Growling, she glared up at him furiously, standing up as well to face him. "Hey, what's your damn problem!"

Without even looking at her, Shinichi opened his mouth to say something that Junko hoped he would never say. "Then perhaps we shouldn't date anymore, _Ms. _Junko…" He was tired of her constant nosiness. He just _couldn't_ tell her what happened. She might hate him for this, but his secret might make her despise his very existence.

The young woman's eyes widened. "What?…" Her shock quickly transformed into anger, crushing the ice cream cone in her fingers. She watched as her now seemingly ex-boyfriend walked away from her, the sticky brown treat running down her fingers as it melted. "Are you…. Are you dumping me! Shinichi, you bastard! I was just--" As the reality of the situation dawned on her, she suddenly felt weak in the legs, falling to her knees and letting her tears fall. "I was just trying to help… Please Shinichi, don't leave me…"

_**To Be Continued…**_


	3. Second Phase: Epilogue, Part 2

And here we are, at part 2 of this story at last. I'm gonna have to pull every idea out of my head to make this chapter as crazy as possible. Last one was a little heavy and low on humor in comparison to other chapters, so let's see if I can pull off the old spark one more time?

---Kouji Tamino

-----

**Love Hina Next: The Mini-Phases!**

A Second Phase Tale: _Epilogue _(Part 2)

Sitting by the shore, getting tans and drinking a few cold ones while scouting out men were Kitsune and Kimomo. A few feet away, Yamato, Tokimi, and Rikina were trying to smash open a watermelon that Yamato had snatched from Mutsumi. The two girls were unaware of this fact, however, and thus were quite shocked when at Yamato's turn to be blindfolded and use the bat, Mutsumi suddenly dove in to make the save, getting bashed in the back of her head. The dark haired, formerly anemic woman fell face first into the sand, laying eerily still as her precious watermelon rolled into the sea. "Oh my god!" Tokimi screamed in initial shock, body shaking fearfully in her green bikini, shades, open silk blouse and sun hat. "Yamato, I think you killed her!"

"Ew, yeah, I think so…" Rikina replied rather blandly while wearing the usual black bikini, poking the woman with a stick she found. She pointed as a small, Mutsumi-shaped cloudlike object floated from her body. "Ooh, I think her soul is leavin'…"

"Hm?" the blue Speedo clad younger Urashima male inquired, flipping the blind fold over his eyes and screaming as he saw the sight. Flipping her over, he saw that her eyes were glazed over and drool was running down her mouth. Also, there was blood trickling down her forehead. It wasn't a pretty sight, even in her dark green one piece. "Holy shit!" Holding her by the shoulders, he began to shake her gently. "Ms. Otohime, please don't die!"

A concerned Kimomo made a motion to help, but was quickly stopped by a casual Kitsune, who assured her that everything was quite fine. A bit unsure, the younger woman slowly sat down, watching the scene play out in morbid fascination.

"Ya. Ma. To?…" Tokimi asked, in a dangerously slow tone. Putting a hand on his shoulder, clenched her fingers in rather violently. "Two questions. Did you use one of Ms. Otohime's watermelons? And if so, did you ask to do so?"

Sweating nervously and profusely as his wife began to brandish the baseball bat meant for smashing watermelons like a warrior and their sword, fire in her eyes as she gritted her teeth waiting for an answer. The entire image quite frankly, frightened him, and it was making it that much harder for him to tell her the truth. He whimpered for a moment before sighing in resignation, reasoning that if he just told the truth, Tokimi would calm down and wouldn't wail on him. "Um… Yeah, I did. I'm sorry."

Unfortunately for Yamato, what he did was unforgivable. Tokimi swung the bat at full strength, bashing Yamato in the face and sending his body soaring through the air, spinning over and over at a full rotations. His arms flailed wildly as he screamed, wind rushing over his body before slamming into the sandcastle that Ami, Meiruuna, Jin, Static, Megumi, and a still guilt ridden Sakura had worked so hard on at full velocity. Playing in the water nearby, human form Tenshi and Kai stared on, eyes wide.

Tears streaked down the white haired girl's face as she stared down at the ruined remains of the castle she and her friends were oh-so close to finishing. Glaring maliciously at her former crush, her body began to flicker between a deep blue and black aura, screaming at the top of her lungs. "I HATE YOU, YAMATO-SAMMMPH…" Her yells were quickly silenced by Jin kissing her gently, moaning as she fell into the kiss, closing her eyes as her aura of power dissipated. "Mmm…"

A beaten and bruised Yamato nodded his thanks towards his best friend, wobbling as he stood up and left to give both Mutsumi and Tokimi a proper apology.

-----

Elsewhere, a heartbroken Junko was wandering the beach alone, eyes red and puffy from crying and her bangs hanging over her face. "Shinichi-kun…" she muttered over and over, stumbling over herself over and over as she tried to un-fog her mind, her only thoughts at the moment being why her boyfriend, no, ex-boyfriend she thought to herself bitterly, would do something like this? What the hell was wrong with him? It just wasn't like her Shinchi to be so… cold, cruel even. She gasped as someone put a hand on her shoulder. Quickly turning around in excitement, she frowned as he found that it was a complete stranger. Great. She must have made her way off of the Suichi family property and winded up on the public beach.

The man had bleached hair and wore green swim trunks with pine trees on them, and a small group of what seemed to be his friends were by his side. Not good. Smiling, the man patted her on the shoulder comfortingly. "What's wrong babe? Cute girl like you shouldn't be walking along the beach by yourself, crying." Silencing his friends as they laughed, he tilted his head slightly. "Don't mind them… So what happened? Get in a fight with your boyfriend?" he asked, rubbing her shoulder and getting a little too close for Junko's liking.

"It's none of your business", she said softly, gently lifting his hand off her shoulder by his wrist. "Please leave me alone, I'm not having a good day." She was not in the mood for any crap, but she was just to emotionally exhausted to take care of the guy in her usual, violent way.

The annoyingly persistent type, the man put a hand on her shoulder again, causing her to turn around and glare hatefully at him. "Hey, what's your problem?" he asked, sneering. His expression turning into a smirk, he put his hand under her chin. "If you're not nice to us, me and my friends won't show you a good time…" Eyes widening as her hand reached his wrist in a flash, he start yelping like a little girl as she twisted it away from her face.

"Get the hell away from me or I'll break your damn wrist!" she yelled, brows furrowing deeply. She had had it. Tired or not, she was not about to let this jerk and his friends harass and try to take advantage of her like this. "I told you, I'm not in the mood for this shit!" Turning her back to him, she flipped the man over her back and shoulder, sending him flying over into the trash can. Smirking a bit at her unintentional good aim, she pumped a fist in the air triumphantly. "Awesome! Three points!" She turned back around, cracking her knuckles as the old spark began to return, suddenly reminded why she started hating most men in the first place as she faced down his rather ticked off looking friends. "Anyone else want an ass kicking?"

"You stupid bitch!" One shouted, stepping forward. "You'll pay for that!" The men rushed her, thinking that their superior numbers over the one woman would bring them an easy revenge.

In only minutes, however, she had completely annihilated the group. Bodies both conscious and unconscious were strewn all over the beach, bloodied and bruised with a few broken bones, the men all groaning and crying out in pain. Bystanders watched, gaping at the carnage in utter shock. Despite this, they applauded Junko for taking care of the gang that had been harassing the beach's women for weeks. A satisfied look on her face, Junko walked away from that area, trying to find something to do to calm herself down.

-----

Elsewhere, an equally disheartened Shinichi was beating himself up over his hasty earlier choice. "Damn, what the hell was I thinking?" Biting his bottom lip, he kicked the sand angrily, he yelped in pain as his big toe nicked a large rock that up until that point had been perfectly hidden. "Ow! Stupid son-of-a--" Sighing as he regained his composure, he crouched down and drew a remarkably good picture of a cheerfully smiling Junko into the sand. A face that he perhaps would never see again, all thanks to his stupidity.

Groaning as he wiped the picture out of existence, he stood up, shaking his head. "No, I did the right thing…" The man gritted his teeth, finger nails digging into her palms as he growled. "I can't let her find out what a horrible person I am…"

-----

The Suichi cousins, always doing things together, were relieved to finally be off and doing their own thing. Go-Roku was busy flirting with Naoko, thoroughly angering her boyfriend Kenji in jealously. Her sickeningly sweet cute charm could barely keep the two from fighting over her. Wanting to teach the two boys a lesson, she ignored them for a good part of the day, causing them much distress.

On another part of the beach, Shi-yon was showing off his rather impressive physique to some of the girls, gaining a score of rolling eyes at his macho display. "Oh, whatever… You know you like it." Raising an eyebrow as he was given the bird by the masses, he chuckled. "Oh yeah, _that's_ mature…" Looking around, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Hey, anyone seen Shinichi? I haven't seen him since we got here…"

"Oh, I think I saw him run off with Junko somewhere…" Nana replied, rubbing suntan lotion on her skin. She blushed heavily as… less than wholesome thoughts filled her head. "Oh my god, what am I thinking?" she muttered, putting her hands over her face.

"You were thinking just what I was thinking!" Ni exclaimed, chuckling deviously. "A young man and woman in love, alone on a private beach! What the hell do you _think_ they're doing?" He grunted as he was bashed in the head with a plastic shovel.

"With perverted thoughts like that, it's no wonder you can't get laid!" Nana screamed, tossing the now bent shovel over her shoulder. "And where the hell did you come from, anyway? Leave me alone! I want to spend at least a few minutes without my damn cousins breathing down my neck!"

"How vulgar…" Kenta Hidaki, Saki's father, muttered as he watched the relatives argue, dressed in a pair of dark green swim shorts. He, his wife, and his daughter were all sitting in chairs, trying to read.

"I know, isn't it awful, father?" Saki asked, completely aghast at the fact that family members could speak so harshly towards one another in public and say such perverted things. Sure, her parents verbally and physically abused her, but goodness, they never did it where everyone could see! She watched as Yamato was sent flying through the air, demolishing the sandcastle, which brought her attention to Sakura, a rather incestuous women who had said some rather… disturbing things about her own cousin, Shinichi. Sighing, she shook her head. Maybe she _wasn't_ as aghast as she had thought…

-----

Junko sighed as she ate the new ice cream cone she had gotten for herself. Most of her anger had waned away, and now she was currently sniffling and whimpering like a baby, longing for her dear Shinichi-kun. Smiling bitterly, she bit her lip. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen… I'm crying over a man of all things."

"Well if it isn't one half of my favorite couple", a chilling, familiar voice quipped. Quickly turning around, wide eyed, Junko's jaw dropped as she saw who it was. Dressed in a black tank top and olive shorts, the vengeful psychic known as Arcia smiled at her with a wave. "Hello, Junko. Lovely as usual." He looked the same as usual, his golden locks now down to his shoulder in a ponytail and sporting a cleanly trimmed goatee.

Bottom lip quivering, still fearful of the horrible things this man did to her and the others, Junko began to back away. "But how? You died…"

The blonde haired man shook his head, his sharp emerald green eyes piercing her. "No, I'm afraid that I'm not… That interesting red head nursed me back to health, and now I'm almost back at my peak condition…"

"Fucking figures…" Junko muttered, rolling her eyes. "That damn Sakura can never stay out of trouble for too long…" Fear suddenly returning, she glared at the man, bringing her arms out to the side as if to protect someone. "I won't let you hurt Shinichi-kun again…" She declared uneasily, tears beginning to run down her face. "Do anything you want to me, just leave him alone." She shivered in disgust as Arcia quickly caught a tear with his finger. "Don't touch me…"

"He broke your heart, didn't he." Frowning as she nodded slowly, he took her hands in his. "Well that's no good… Let's see what we can do to fix this, shall we?"

Junko growled, yanking her hands away. How dare he touch and speak to her like that, especially after what he pulled the last time they met. "What do you mean? I told you already, leave Shinichi-kun alone you bastard!"

Chuckling, Arcia ran a hand through his hair. This was going to be _fun_…

-----

"Hey Shin-sama!" Naoko greeted, waving at her former crush as he passed. She looked around in confusion, noticing that one person was missing from this picture. "Um, where's Junko-nesan?"

"It's none of your concern…" Shinichi replied dully, not realizing what he was saying. He trudged along the beach, head hung low.

Distraught by the cold reply she was given, she began to follow him. "What do you mean, Shin-sama? Junko is my sister! How could you say that's none of my concern! And how can you not know where your girlfriend is?"

"Simple", he began, wearily, "she's not my girlfriend anymore." He grunted as he felt a tug on his shorts. Turning around, he faced a blubbering Naoko with a heavy sigh. "What?" he asked, fearing that this would happen if he broke the news too hastily.

Staring at Shinichi incredulously, she burst out crying. "Why? How could you do that to her?" Crying into his chest, she looked up at him with already reddening eyes. "Don't you know that besides father, you were the only man in our life up until recently who had ever shown us love and kindness?" Her body shivering, she planted her face back in his toned chest, his body a far cry from the way it was when she first met him. She had been hugging him, pretending to be a daughter from an affair. He was certainly scrawny back then, even skinnier than the more athletic boys at her school. But still, he had always been so gentle and kind… At least, that's what she thought back then. She wasn't too sure now. This new side of Shinichi was scaring her, but she couldn't help but cry on him for comfort, like she always had been able to. "You have…" she sniffled, struggling to get the words out. "…no idea what he did to her, our uncle… and what he had planned for me."

It was at this moment that Shinichi truly realized what a horrible mistake he had made. Junko may have seemed strong, but that was just a tough outer layer to protect her soft, weak inner self. Junko evidently had been scared of men for quite some time, and this later turned into a hatred for the male species. Unfortunately, _he_ was the only man around for Junko to take her frustrations out on for quite some time. But at the same time, being the only man in Junko's life had been good for her. She had slowly broken out of her shell and was now a nice balance of her true self and the version she had created to protect her and her sister from ever being harmed again. There was no telling how she had taken the break up. He had to find her. Hugging Naoko tightly apologetically, he smiled. "Don't worry, Ms. Naoko… I'll go find Junko and make things right. Okay?" Smiling as she looked up at him with blurry eyes, he patted her on the head. "That's a good girl…"

As Naoko waved bye to Shinichi, she squealed as she felt two hands on her ankles, she looked down and sighed in exasperation at Kenji and Go-Roku. "Okay, I forgive you already! Now will you please quit fighting?"

-----

Shinichi sighed as he searched the beach high and low for Junko, with no avail. He had asked the others where she might be, without informing them about their break-up. To his knowledge, the only people who knew about it were Naoko, Junko, and himself. Unless, of course, Junko had already told the others and they weren't telling him where she was out of spite or by her request. If that was the case, it would be even harder to try and patch things up.

Just then, as if things couldn't get any worse, he suddenly felt the familiar chill of psychic energy. Despite his psy-nullifying powers kicking in only recently, he had always had a bit of a six sense when it came to this stuff. He could even tell to whom it belonged to, if he had met them, and right now he could sense that this particular energy belonged to someone who should no longer exist in this world.

Bursting into a run, Shinichi hurried to seek out the source of this energy. If he wasn't going crazy and it somehow belonged to you-know-who, Junko could be in grave danger. He had to hurry… He had to protect her.

His fears were soon confirmed. He could only see the man from the back, but he knew it was him. "Turn around, Arcia… I don't know how you survived, but I won't let you hurt my friends…" His anger rose from within as he thought back to the things he put them through. He and the others had attempted to give him a second chance, but his words of continuing to seek revenge against 'normal humans' still echoed in his mind. Friend or foe, he had to find out what his current goals were.

"Oh, don't worry…" Arcia began, slowly turning around and facing the man who defeated him. "I have but one request… Fight me." Chuckling at his old foes confusion, he elaborated. "You beat me once, and I want to regain some of my pride." Snapping his fingers, a green orb appeared in his hand. "By the way, you'll soon find that your powers won't work." Tossing the orb at the youngest Suichi male, he watched in satisfaction as he ran, the ball of energy exploding as it made contact with the ground. "Ah, haven't done that in a while…" He began to float, following the young man as he ran with a grin.

Shinichi ran as fast as his legs could carry him, barely managing to dodge the energy balls that Arcia sent at him. Doing a quick roll, he soon found himself off of his families property and on the public beach, which was signified by the nearby trashcan getting blown up, scattering singed trash everywhere. "What are you, crazy? And why aren't my powers working?" He yelped, leaping out of the way of another blast, sighing as a restroom/changing room was destroyed. "Sorry!" he shouted, blushing as he realized that it was a women's changing room. The girls shrieked, covering themselves up before grabbing surviving possessions and chucking them at his head. Poor Shinichi was bashed in the head several times by purses, cell phones, and all sorts of other items. As he stumbled back to his feet, his head was gushing blood as well as his nose, albeit for a different reason. Groaning in pain, he skittered away before anymore harm could come to him.

Still a little shaky, he soon bumped into someone, grabbing for something to keep his balance. His eyes widened as he discovered that he ran smack dab into Junko and had once again found himself groping her breasts. "Um, hey there…"

Staring at him for a moment, Junko quickly turned away. "Shinichi-k--" She caught herself, remembering their current standing. "I mean, Shinichi…" Shaking her voice cracked as she continued. "What are you doing here?" Glaring over at Arcia, who was in the distance, she growled angrily. "Is this what you meant? Why did you bring him here? I hate him!" she shouted viciously. "I hate all men!" Unable to hold her emotions in any longer, she cried onto Shinichi's shoulder. "Oh god, Shinichi-kun! I'm so sorry for trying to push you into answering questions you weren't ready to answer! Just please, don't leave me alone!" She gasped as she was grabbed in a tight hug.

"No, I'm sorry…" Shinichi replied, squeezing her against his body. "I'm sorry for being so insensitive to your feelings." Closing his eyes, he ran a hand through her hair. "You just wanted to help, and I utterly ignored and rejected your help, eventually rejecting you as well. I wasn't thinking straight and I deserve no forgiveness."

"You're right… At least, not yet you don't…" Junko said softly, pushing him away and socking him right in the face. A feeling of satisfaction washing over her, she gave her beau a familiar smirk. "Now I forgive you!"

Rubbing his sore cheek, Shinichi smiled back. "So, ready to try and start over?" Laughing joyfully as she smiled, he picked her up and swung her around. "Junko, I love you so much!"

Tears of joy and relief flowing at hearing those words again, Junko nodded, sniffling heavily. "I know… I love you too, Shinichi-kun…" Leaning in, she grabbed his head and brought him into a deep kiss, filled with passion and longing.

Still watching from a distance, Arcia chuckled, his job finished, for now. One day, he _would_ get a proper rematch, he swore it. "An interesting pair, those two… When ever they are in each other's presence, he grows more confident while she grows more trusting. They balance each other out. They really are my favorite couple…"

-----

A few minutes later, the happy couple returned to the group, hand in hand as if nothing had happened between them. And tagging along was a new friend, which shocked everyone there. Poor Sakura looked like she would have a heart attack as he winked at her. Quickly regaining her composure, however, she ran towards him and leapt into his arms, planting a big wet kiss, which in turn explained everything to the others.

Arcia himself was probably the most surprised, having grown feelings for the rather unique woman, but not sure himself what those feelings were and whether or not she harbored similar emotions. Right now, he didn't really care, returning the kiss and holding onto her for dear life. Everyone else looked on, a bit confused, but glad that things had turned out all right.

-----

Later that day, as the sun began to set on their first day at the beach, Shinichi and Junko sat near the shore, their hearts heavy as bad memories began to once again become fresh in their minds. It was time to let their skeletons out of the closet. No more secrets behind the couple. Sighing, Junko looked towards her boyfriend with an almost mortified look on her face. "I'll tell you my secret if you tell me yours afterwards, okay? Just… don't get too upset." Taking a deep breath, she began. "My uncle… he used to invite his friends and even the occasional stranger to… feel me up for a fee. I was only 15 when it began." She bit her lip as she watched Shinichi flare up, digging his nails in his palms and even drawing blood. "Apparently he had plans for Naoko as well. That's when I became fed up and ran away, taking her with me."

A few moments of silence passed before she continued. "So there. That's why I'm the way I am today. A violent, man hating tomboy. I had to become tough to protect my little sister. But that was just an act. On the inside, I was still terrified of the opposite sex. Then I met you. A kind, but physically weak man with low self-esteem. After meeting so many sick, perverted, selfish men in my life, I couldn't bring myself to believe that you were really the way you seemed when we met." She giggled a bit before continuing. "So I kept pushing and pushing, beating you up and calling you names, trying to make you snap and make you reveal your true colors. But it never came. Every time I pushed, you pushed back… with kindness. You never once even raised your voice at me, except that one night, when Saki pissed me off so much that I swore I'd kill her and you scolded me in return. It frightened me so much that while you had gone off on that trip, the man I had fallen in love with had turned into the type of man I hate and fear."

"Oh, Junko…" Shinichi muttered softly, giving her a comforting hug. "My poor, dear Junko… Thank you for sharing that with me… Now it's my turn." Swallowing, he prayed that what he said next didn't make her despise him. "My father, in his less… flattering phase of life, wanted 2 heirs to his fortune and business, whatever the hell it is… When Shin left, I took his spot in inheritance while my parents had another child to fill my spot. His name was Shinshi." Pausing for a moment, he looked away from Junko, unable to face her while he revealed to her the horrible side of himself. "It was during his childhood that I took most of my frustrations towards my father out on him, ignoring poor Shinshi and pushing him away when he really needed my help. My negligence would lead to him drowning at this very beach. He was only four, and I've never forgiven myself for it, but I swore to be kind to everyone no matter what from that point on. It doesn't excuse me for what I did, but--" He yelped as Junko pinched his cheeks.

"Hey, idiot." Junko replied rather harshly, but quickly cursing herself for letting her rougher side emerge at such an inappropriate time. It had taken a lot of courage for him to reveal all of this to her, but she sure wasn't making it seem like she was appreciative for it. "Sorry… But look, so you made a mistake, a very terrible mistake, when you were a kid. It's fine to mourn, but you shouldn't let your past control you. The fact is, you learned from your mistake and became a better person because of it. I know this sounds strange coming from me of all people, but… Yeah."

Smiling, Shinichi wrapped an arm around her. "Thank you, Junko…" Chuckling, he shook his head. "You always keep me from wallowing back into my pathetic little runs of self blame and low confidence. You _do_ know that you were one of my inspirations to become a stronger person, right?"

"No shit?" Junko laughed, resting her head on his shoulder. "God, we really do need each other, don't we?" Sighing as they watched the sunset, she licked her lips. "So, baby, we have a whole 2 days left together…" A mischievous grin grew on her face as she looked to him. "What do ya wanna do?"

**End.**

-----

And that's that. A little heavy at the end, but necessary to fill the little plot holes. Thankfully, we all know what happens to Junko and Naoko's uncle later on… Until next time, farewell!


End file.
